The NSW Government has released their long overdue draft Koala Conservation Strategy, and are inviting submissions by 9 am on Monday 9 November 2026.

They have developed a weak and ineffective Koala Strategy, that will do little to save koalas, and does not even attempt to address the concerns documented as outcomes of the 2024 Koala Summit. The actions proposed are vague motherhood statements with no detail, funding or timeline as to how they will be achieved. 

Details are on the Environment and Heritage website Draft NSW Koala Conservation Strategy 

We need to let the Government know its just not good enough. NEFA's submission guide is here.

Please help those that can't help themselves.

MAKE A SUBMISSION NOW

This draft Koala Conservation Strategy is intended to contribute to an “action plan to provide clarity for both industry and local communities on the long-term role of the forestry sector in NSW. The government is also seeking a landscape-scale approval from the Australian Government to address legislative changes that removed an exemption for forestry operations in Regional Forestry Agreement areas from 1 July 2027”. 

Here are some points that you may want to raise – in your own words: Protecting Koala habitat is the highest priority. In 2017 the NSW Government applied Koala records to identify particularly important areas for protection, with high densities and persistence of Koalas, as Koala Hubs. In 2022 the Commonwealth identified Nationally Important Koala Areas (NIKAs). Both these continue to be routinely logged. There are many areas with known high density Koala populations that are now being logged.

The most important action is to protect Koala habitat 

• There needs to be a Government strategy and program, overseen by a panel of experts, to identify and map core Koala habitat, secondary habitat, habitat linkages and climate refuges across all land tenures, to be applied in all planning processes 
• The most effective measure to protect Koalas is to protect the North East Forest Alliance’s North East Forest Parks, which include significant parts of 10 priority management areas (ARKS) for koalas 
• One of the priority areas for protection is the proposed Richmond River Koala Parks 
• Koala Hubs need to be protected and reappraised using contemporary data 
• As an interim measure, ahead of any logging or clearing in potential habitat or Nationally Important Koala Areas, there needs to be surveys undertaken using drones to identify all high density clusters of Koalas (likely breeding habitat) to exclude from logging, clearing or development, with the CIFOA logging rules for public lands and the PNF Code for private lands modified to reflect this intent.

Koalas generally prefer mature trees over 30cm diameter (dbh), of select feed species. Logging rules adopt a minimum size of 20cm dbh because these are below sawlog size, though they also only have a fraction of the browse and are not preferentially used. 

• Protection for Koala feed trees in the CIFOA and PNF Codes must be increased in accordance with the evidence to a minimum size of 30 cm dbh 
• Feed tree lists for all processes and regions need to be reviewed in an expert process to reflect the preferred feed trees actually used. 

Councils are required by State Environmental Planning Policies to prepare Koala Plans of Management, though the process is onerous with poor implementation. As an outcome of the 2020-2022 Koala Wars the process was made unworkable, with State Environmental Planning Policy (Biodiversity and Conservation) 2021 including two different SEPPs, Chapter 3 ‘Koala habitat protection 2020’ applies to most rural zones and Chapter 4 ‘Koala habitat protection 2021’ applies to most other zones. Both have very different criteria and methodologies, as well as issues that need addressing. 

• Koala habitat protection 2021’ needs to be adopted as the standard SEPP for all Council zones, with a modified and streamlined process and criteria for identifying core Koala habitat • The required Koala Habitat Protection Guideline needs to be released 
• Council’s need to be empowered to include core koala habitat in conservation zones 
• The prohibition on logging of core Koala habitat under the PNF Code needs to be reinstated 
• A Koala Plan of Management needs to be required for any proposal to affect core Koala habitat and habitat linkages, not just Development Applications 
• The need for KPoMs to be approved by the Secretary of the Department of Regional NSW needs to be removed 
• There needs to be a clearly articulated strategy, timeframe, assistance and funding for the process of Councils completing Koala Plans of Management for all Areas of Regional Koala Significance.

For some further issues to raise see Issues for Submissions For the full story see NEFA’s detailed submission to the Koala Strategy.